I Want You To Be Happy
by fananicfan
Summary: This piece was written for the March 2013 challenge on the HBX, but if you read it there, this version has an added scene.


MARCH 2013 CHALLENGE

I WANT YOU TO BE HAPPY

by fananicfan

It was March 3rd, and Mac was perusing the front-page headlines of the Monday morning paper while a bowl of cereal sat getting soggy on the dining table in front of her.

Mac had been TAD for the past month on a deployed carrier, filling in for a shipboard JAG who'd had to take emergency leave to be at his mother's bedside during her final hours.

Being on a carrier in the middle of the ocean had her feeling out of touch with the real world, and she hoped to catch up with some recent current events through her reading that would give her something relevant to talk about with her co-workers when she returned to work later that morning.

Of course, she didn't need an item for idle chit-chat with the person whom she'd missed most this past month, Harm, because conversation between the two of them always seemed just to happen...to bloom out of their bond...a bond that she couldn't explain.

It had always been there, almost from the moment they'd met, and it was the reason why she'd missed him more than anyone else while she'd been away.

At the bottom of the first page in a little box, she saw the quote of the day. It was one by Emerson with which she was familiar. She also took note of the fun-facts by reading the "holidays" that were to be celebrated today.

'If Pets Had Thumbs Day'... Really? she thought. Why would anyone in their right mind give so much thought to such a thing that a whole day needed to be devoted to it?

'National Anthem Day'... She hadn't known that one existed, but in this post 9-11 world, perhaps it was a good idea - a day dedicated to listening to or learning the lyrics of the National Anthem.

'I Want You to be Happy Day'... This one had her attention, and she read the complete description of it.

'It's a thought that we wish upon others that we care for or love. Celebrate today by doing something to make others happy. It can start with an Ecard that will put a smile on someone's face. Other ideas include making a phone call, giving a compliment or cooking a special meal. Be creative. There are endless ways to make others happy.'

There was something unselfish about the gesture that struck a chord with her, and it caused her to pause to think about those who she could show that she truly cared about them by doing some small act of kindness today.

Then she read the last one listed in the paper.

'Peach Blossom Day'... A day to celebrate peach blossoms and for girls to celebrate being girls. Another "holiday" that she didn't see any point in having. Celebrating the peach, the harvest made sense to her, but just a day to salute the peach blossom?

Did they know that the peach blossom is also the name of a variety of moth?

It wasn't even worth dwelling on, so she flipped the page and folded it back.

She glanced over page two and found nothing of interest.

Then she turned the paper over, and there at the top of page, she saw something that caused her heart to stop.

It was a photo of Harm and a woman - a young, attractive, blond woman.

After a few long moments, she finally recovered from the shock of seeing him with someone whom she didn't know.

Apparently, a lot had happened in Harm's life in the past month.

Asking him about the photo that she'd seen in the newspaper would certainly give them something to talk about today ... that is, if she got a chance to talk to him since it was very possible that Harm would be in court or have lunch plans, which would make time to speak with him limited while at work.

Her curiosity about his life in her absence caused her to search for the picture's accompanying article.

She felt a little better after reading just the headline: The Military Supports Red Cross Month.

The article was a feel-good piece and was a quick read.

It seems that she'd missed a Ball where all the attendees were in the military, and the collected tickets sales had benefitted the Red Cross.

After reading the story, Mac looked more objectively at the photo.

The caption under the picture said, 'Naval Commander Harmon Rabb, Junior with local Red Cross Representative, Gina Getty'.

Also of note was that, though they were standing next to each other, there was no visible sign of romance to be seen in the picture, such as his arm around her.

She'd jumped to conclusions and worried herself for no reason. It was a picture taken at a social event and had no other meaning.

She was suddenly in the mood to celebrate 'I Want You to be Happy Day' ... to pass on the way that she was feeling at knowing that Harm hadn't made another major life decision - such as his eye surgery - by becoming engaged without telling her first.

She wasn't expected at work until later that morning, so if she got started now, she'd have time to think of something for the two people to whom she felt the closest at the office, her friend, Harriet, and Harm.

She jumped up from her chair, abandoning her now soggy cereal, and dashed towards the bathroom to shower so that she'd have time to get to the store and purchase the item that she already had in mind for Harriet, a woman who always put others before herself.

Harm sat behind his desk, filling in the blanks of a new form that was to be filled out on each closed case.

Paper work wasn't his favorite activity, and another new form was the last thing that he wanted or needed today.

He rubbed his hand over his face. However, the new form wasn't at the center of his disgruntled mood.

It was the fact that Mac hadn't been at the staff meeting this morning, and she was supposed to have been back today - after a month TAD.

A quiet inquiry after the meeting had rewarded him with the information that, because of her scheduled late-night arrival, the admiral had authorized her to come in later than everyone else.

Harm couldn't concentrate on this form or anything else until he saw Mac. He'd missed her. Even though they had no relationship beyond friendship, the office - his life - just wasn't the same without her.

He looked at his watch. She should be arriving soon.

In fact, his Mac radar told him that she was nearby.

Feeling eyes on him, he looked up with a broad smile on his face.

"Commander Rabb..." It was Tiner, not Mac. "...the admiral wanted me to make sure that you had the new 450 forms that came in the second shipment and not the first one."

Unhappy to see the petty officer instead of Mac, Harm gruffly asked, "What's the difference between the two?"

"There was an error at the printing company, and they shipped a single page form instead of the correct triplicate form."

Harm fumbled with the form that still lay blank on his desk. 'One, two, three...'

"I've got a three-page form."

"Thank you, Sir. Since Colonel Mackenzie hasn't been here since the correct forms arrived, I know that she has the originally shipped forms, so I'll go deliver the new forms to her."

"The colonel is here now?" Harm asked, trying to make it sound like her presence was only a passing interest to him, but he wasn't successful in covering his interest in her return.

"I haven't seen her, but I believe that she's in the building, Sir," Tiner replied, concealing his smile. Were those two ever going to admit how they felt about each other? Because, frankly, everyone else could see it. They were in love.

Giving her the correct forms would be the perfect excuse for Harm to drop by her office before she had time to settle in after her month-long absence.

"I'll see that she gets them, Tiner," Harm told the petty officer.

Harm stood and walked towards Tiner to take the forms from him.

Just after Tiner had handed Harm the forms, they heard the unmistakable sound of Harriet gushing about something out in the bullpen.

Being taller than most had its advantages. One was that he could see over Tiner's shoulder, and, as he'd hoped, the reason for Harriet's excitement was because her friend, Mac, was there.

"Oh, Ma'am, you ..." Harriet said, but tears took over and choked out the rest of her words.

Tiner knew that he was no longer needed, so he slipped away to continue his delivery of the new forms.

"Mac, you may have just set a Marine Corps record. Back less than five minutes, and you've made someone cry," Harm teased.

"She gave me..." Pregnant for the third time, Lieutenant Sims started, holding up a peach-colored teddy bear. "...and this," she said through her tears, holding up an envelope in her other hand.

"A spa day that includes a special pregnancy message," Mac supplied so that Harm would know the contents of the envelope.

"A Marine bearing gifts ... should we be worried?" Harm questioned, loosely referencing the saying of 'be wary of Greeks baring gifts'.

"Worried that I'd like carrier duty better than being here with you?" Mac teased.

"I wasn't worried about that," Harm chuckled. "Everyone knows that, given a choice, Marines will choose green grass over ocean blue every time."

The banter was back, and the "off" feeling that the entire office had experienced while the two senior officers had been apart instantly disappeared.

"I have a gift for you, too," Harm said cheerfully.

"You do?" Mac said with delightful surprise.

"Yes, the corrected form 450. The first ones that came in weren't a triplicate form."

"Well, gee thanks. I don't know what I'd do without friends like you," Mac said disappointedly.

Harm felt a lump in his throat. He hadn't been trying to hurt her feelings. He'd been attempting just to keep her there. They were in the middle of the bullpen, and he'd missed her so much that he didn't want her to walk away.

"I'd better get to work," Mac announced.

"Thank you again, Ma'am," Harriet said, sounding less tearful and more like her usually cheerful self.

"You're welcome, Harriet," Mac replied. Then she eyed Harm curiously and turned to walk to her office.

Harm followed.

Mac stepped inside her office, and Harm stood in the doorway.

"Is today Harriet's birthday?"

"No," Mac answered.

"Then why the gift?" Harm asked, crossing his arms, one hand still clutching the forms.

There was something different about her today, and he wasn't going to leave her office without finding out why she'd changed.

"I have no sinister reason, no agenda. I just wanted to let my dear friend know that I want her to be happy and that I appreciate her friendship."

"Did you buy me something in appreciation of our friendship?" Harm asked with a fighter jock grin on his face.

Mac felt that the real question was, 'Am I your best friend or is Harriet?'

"I wanted to buy you something, but you're hard to shop for. I do have something for you, but I can't give it to you here."

"What is it?" Harm asked, sounding like an impatient child.

"I'm not going to tell you, but I'll give you a hint," she said, moving closer to him, and then she whispered seductively, "It comes in only one color - Marine green."

Harm swallowed down the first idea that popped into his mind. She couldn't mean...could she?

It was definitely not a gift that she could go to a store and buy or give him here.

"Then, do you want to give it to me tonight?"

"If you don't have other plans with your Red Cross girl, tonight is fine with me."

"You saw the picture in the paper," Harm replied, certain that he heard a little jealousy in her voice.

"Yes," Mac replied.

"She wasn't my date. The photo was just the one that was used for the article. It was a photo taken at the event last weekend, an event that I would've taken you to if you'd been here, I might add."

Getting conformation that it had been merely a publicity shot, Mac asked, "I guess if we've cleared that up, the only question left is do you want me to give you your gift at my place or yours?"

"You've been out of town for a month, so if you come to my place, I'll make you a home-cooked meal."

"Your place at 1900 then?" Mac asked.

"Sounds good to me," Harm responded, hoping that she meant what he thought she meant.

He'd always wanted her to be happy, but he'd also always dreamed that one day she'd decide that she'd be happiest with him.

He had a feeling that, if tonight went well, his dream would be coming true, and nothing would make him happier.

Harm had been wondering about tonight, or maybe worried would describe it better.

His concern was that he'd read too much into this 'gift' that she'd said that she had for him.

What if he was preparing for something that wasn't going to happen?

He'd be disappointed.

If she realized what he'd thought was going to happen, would she feel differently about him? Would it be the misunderstanding that would end their friendship?

He decided that he wouldn't take the chance that he was wrong and blew out the candles that adorned the properly set table, changed the centerpiece from the red roses to a small bouquet of mixed flowers and drew a deep breath, letting it out slowly in relief that he'd made the changes before Mac arrived. He didn't want to give her the impression that this was anything more than friends having dinner to reconnect after one of them had been away.

His stomach tensed at the sound of the knock on the door. She was here.

Harm took one last look around his apartment. Everything was nice, but he wanted things to be perfect tonight ... just in case.

With no time to make any changes and not wanting to keep her waiting, Harm opened the door fully.

"Hey," was all that came out when he saw her. She was always attractive, no matter what she was wearing, but tonight she was more than attractive, more than desirable, more than beautiful. She was alluring and seductive, and she hadn't said a word yet.

"Hey, yourself," she said, walking up to him.

The smell of her perfume was intoxicating, and he was finding it hard to concentrate on anything other than wanting her.

She put her index finger on his chest.

"Cat got your tongue, Sailor?" she asked in that same seductive whisper that she'd used at her office ealier today.

"Dinner will be ready in ten minutes," he managed to finally get out after Mac had waltzed farther into his apartment.

He closed the door and shook the thoughts from his head.

"Harm, is something wrong?"

"I'm fine," Harm replied unconvincingly. "What makes you ask?"

"You seem distracted this evening. We could do this another night when you have less on your mind," Mac explained.

"Trust me, you're the only thing on my mind tonight," he said honestly, but regretted it the moment that the words had left his mouth because he felt that it made him sound like a man with only one thing on his mind.

In his defense, she was wearing a dress that, aside from the green color, had no resemblance to her military persona. So how could she fault him for thinking of her as a desirable woman?

Mac took in the room.

When Harm cooked dinner for her, he usually had the table set, but tonight she was noticing details that she hadn't noticed before. Had they been there on other occasions and she'd just never paid attention, or was she looking more closely tonight because she was looking for some hint that she wasn't going to be making a fool of herself?

Oh, how much better her idea had sounded to her this morning.

"Harm, maybe we should have dinner another night," Mac suggested.

"Okay, but if you'll wait for a few minutes, I can at least send you home with something to eat," Harm said, worried that his attempt to "de-romance" the room had failed and now she was uncomfortable being alone with him here.

"I don't want you to go to any trouble. I'm not very hungry anyway," Mac said with regret that she'd lost her nerve.

"No trouble at all, and while we're waiting, you can give me the gift that you said you had for me."

The color of Mac's face started to match the green of her dress.

"Harm, I ... I'm having second thoughts about giving it to you," Mac confessed, bringing about awkward moment number four hundred and something.

"Why? I've been looking forward to it all day," Harm replied with a teasing pout.

"I just think that it may be too personal a gift for me to give you." She didn't know whether she was trying to be honest or if she was trying to give him hints about what she'd planned to do.

"We're best friends. No one knows me better than you do, so unless you bought me underwear, I can't think of anything that would qualify as too personal," Harm commented, trying to encourage her to give him the gift because he was growing increasingly convinced that his first instinct had been correct, but he needed to be sure, and that meant letting her make the first move.

"I was just going to tell you that I value our friendship very much and that I want you to be happy," she said, her hand on his arm as she looked him in the eye.

"I feel the same way about you, Mac."

"Then maybe you'll forgive me for doing this," she said before pressing her lips against his.

Her lips left his too soon for his liking.

"...And maybe you'll forgive me for this," Harm said before pulling Mac into him and placing his lips on hers.

His kiss was powerful and conjured up all kinds of emotions inside her.

Mac's knees weakened as his kiss sent a warming sensation through her body, and when his lips left hers, she couldn't stand on her own.

"Harm, I think I'd like to stay after all, if that's all right with you," she said, leaning against him for support.

"I was hoping you'd say that because I think we need to have an honest conversation about what we need to make _us _happy."

THE END


End file.
